MONTHLY POLITICAL ROUNDUP

C O N F I D E N T I A L KIGALI 000005

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/03/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM RW
SUBJECT: MONTHLY POLITICAL ROUNDUP

REF: A. KIGALI 0002


B. 2007 KIGALI 1113

C. 2007 KIGALI 1092

Classified By: CDA Cheryl Sim, reason 1.4 (B/D)


1. (SBU) This edition of the monthly political roundup
includes:

-- Rwanda's Fifth National Dialogue
-- The Rwandan Patriotic Front's 20th Anniversary Congress
-- Changes in NGO Registration Procedures
-- The High Council of the Press "Validation Workshop"


President Chairs Fifth National Dialogue
--------------


2. (SBU) From December 27-28, President Kagame chaired
Rwanda's fifth National Dialogue. Senior GOR officials from
all levels and branches of the Rwandan government discussed
the state of Rwanda's economy, its education system, the
prevalence of genocide ideology, the gacaca courts, the role
of the Rwandan diaspora in Rwanda's development efforts, and
performance contracts for Rwanda's 30 district mayors. On
Rwanda's economy, the President formally announced the
formation of an inter-ministerial team charged with
addressing food self-sufficiency, value-added export
products, affordable banking services, and responsible
management of the environment. Commerce Minister Protais
Musoni expressed confidence in Rwanda's ability to raise its
productivity, engendering one of the Dialogue's few sustained
debates, and called upon Rwandan enterprises to make use of
TIG labor (community service for genocide convicts -- see ref
B) as inexpensive and plentiful. Foreign Minister Murigande
applauded the role of the Rwandan diaspora, for
. investing heavily in Rwanda's development, and sending tens
of millions of dollars in remittances each year to family
members.


3. (C) Justice Minister Karugarama addressed reports of
genocide ideology in the country (ref A),asking the Rwandan
public not to judge the matter from recent press reports, but
to be patient and allow time for proper inquiry and
education. He announced that the government would revise the
gacaca statute to allow for the transfer of category one
genocide cases from the regular courts to gacaca courts. A
Rwandan pastor and National Reconciliation board member
called for "deep" reflection on genocide ideology and the
impact of the gacaca judicial system on Rwandan families. He
raised the case of a young Hutu man, unable to attend school,
his father in jail and his family having sold all its land to
pay compensation to genocide survivors. Who would this young
man listen to in the future, asked the pastor. No one
responded to his call for debate. The Minister of Education
missed the discussion of education issues, supposedly ill and
unable to attend, although many assumed she avoided the
Dialogue after her trying testimony at the Parliament, where
she was heavily criticized for alleged lack of action against
Hutu high school students threatening violence to genocide
survivors and Tutsis students generally (ref A). Her deputy
was booed several times as he presented his Ministry's plans
for the future.


4. (U) Finally, President Kagame signed new performance
contracts with Rwanda's 30 district mayors, after praising
their performance in 2007, and noting that the mayors had on
average achieved 85 percent of their development goals.
This, said the President, proved critics wrong who complained
that development activities centered on Kigali, at the
expense of the countryside.


5. (C) Comment. Although President Kagame called for real
debate at the Dialogue, no one amongst the assembled
officials really spoke up on any sensitive issue, perhaps
recalling what happened at the 2006 Dialogue, when debate was
also encouraged. At that time, a member of Parliament had
publicly accused several ministers of poor performance, only
to be sharply reprimanded by Kagame. The courageous request
by the pastor on the need for "deep" discussion of
allegations of genocide ideology and the gacaca genocide
trials -- suggesting that Hutus youths might be discouraged
and open to divisive approaches -- went unanswered. End
comment.

Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) Holds 20th Anniversary Congress
-------------- --------------


6. (SBU) On December 29, the RPF held it seventh general
congress, celebrating its 20 years of existence since its
formation in Uganda in 1987. Representatives of other
political parties attended the opening sessions, and offered
solidarity messages to the assembled delegates. Liberal
Party President and Minister of Commerce Protais Mitali
commended RPF policy initiatives, and said that those who
claimed there was no political space, "still have a lot to
learn about Rwanda."


7. (SBU) President Kagame praised the cooperation among
political parties, calling it "crucial" to Rwanda's
development, while noting that others outside Rwanda meant to
"destroy" the country (specifically naming Paul Rusesabagina,
Partenariat-Intware General Secretary Deo Mushayidi, and
several others). The President also spoke disparagingly of
"dissident" RPF members, who had joined the party only to
further their own self-interest (note: this was considered a
reference to former Director of External Intelligence Patrick
Karegeya, who was released from a military prison in
November, and who surreptitiously left Rwanda soon after -
see ref C). If they try to attack the RPF, "they won't know
what hit them," said the President. Kagame then called upon
RPF members to be disciplined, and to understand that "no one
is indispensable."

NGO Registration Procedures Changed
--------------


8. (C) In late December, the Ministry of Local Government
(Miniloc),previously in charge of oversight and registration
procedures for international and local NGOS, abruptly
informed international NGO officials that all registration
functions would be transferred immediately to the Directorate
of Immigration and Emigration, a subset of the National
Security Service. Officials at Care International and
Catholic Relief Services told pol/econ chief January 1 that
the change had taken them completely unawares, with no prior
discussion or explanation of the transfer. The NGO officials
felt some uneasiness, as they had built up good working
relationships with Miniloc officers, and regarded Miniloc
Minister Protais Musoni as liberal in attitude and anxious to
work closely with NGOs in easing registration red-tape.


9. (SBU) On January 2, a senior official at Miniloc
confirmed that the transfer of registration functions to
Immigration had been intended for some time, following a
cabinet decision to do so in February of 2007. The intention
was entirely benign, he claimed, motivated by the wish to
establish a "one-stop shop" for NGOs, similar to the one-stop
facility for foreign businessmen at the Rwanda Investment and
Export Promotion Agency. Previously, he said, international
NGOs had to work with three separate entities, Immigration
for visas, the Labor Ministry for work permits, and Miniloc
for registration certificates. Now, he said, all would be
done at Immigration. "People always need their visas first,"
he said, "and now it will all be done at one place." The
official thought that officials from Miniloc and the Labor
Ministry would "probably" sit at Immigration to assist with
registration and work permit details. A meeting would be
held in mid-January, he said, to explain the new policy.

High Council of the Press (HCP) Holds "Validation Workshop"
-------------- --------------


10. (SBU) In mid-December, the HCP held a "validation
workshop" to examine its 2008-2012 strategic plan. Members
of the local media, human rights organizations and the
diplomatic corps attended, as well as officials from
political parties and various government offices. The HCP
proposed five "missions" for itself in the future:
guaranteeing freedom of the press; establishing a sustainable
media regulation system; capacity building at the HCP; media
development and professionalism; and monitoring and
evaluation mechanisms at the HCP. Most debate centered on
press freedom, and the paucity of detail in the strategic
plan on that "mission." While some participants (chiefly the
Director of Communications at the RPF) opined that the HCP
had no obvious role to play in protecting press freedom, as
press freedom existed in abundance in Rwanda, others pressed
for inclusion of specific activities for the HCP: conducting
training sessions with police and civil defense forces;
working to incorporate press freedom principles in school
curriculum; and actively assisting journalists with legal
advice on press freedom issues. Participants also agreed on
the need for a dedicated "press freedom" section within the
HCP.


11. (SBU) Comment. No real discussion occurred on the
conflicting roles the HCP has set itself, monitoring the
media while also supposedly promoting press freedom.
However, while resigned to the HCP's role as press monitor,
participants did make a number of useful suggestions on how
the HCP could concretely work to assist freedom of the press.
End comment.


SIM